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Author Topic: Christie SLC Lamphouse - Hard to strike Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-27-2010 12:56 AM                        Christie sent me this today. Does that vibe with what you are saying? I am not seeing any wires as small as 22 gauge. All wires anywhere near the rectifier are pretty thick, nothing thinner than about 10 gauge I'd say. I haven't checked the non-operator side again, but there is nothing on the operator side to change/adjust. I didn't get this document until I got home, but measured the voltage and am getting 115.6 VDC.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-27-2010 10:44 AM                        That seems low to me. I haven't worked with a Christie in a long time but I know Strong lamphouses usually need 150 vdc. Cinemeccanica on the other hand can strike with as low as 85vdc from an IREM but thats not what we are discussing here. I may well be wrong as I havent worked on any Christies in a long time but 155 seems very low to me.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-27-2010 11:32 AM                        Jim at Christie says I want to be around 120vdc. 115 is low, but not really that low.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-27-2010 05:50 PM                     Joe, 115VDC should be fine. Xenons need one voltage to strike when cold, and a higher voltage to start when warm (i.e. when they have recently been extinguished). The cold voltage should be somewhere around 80V (supposedly -- you may need more as the lamp ages), and the hot voltage around 120V. Of course you want the lamphouse to supply the hot voltage so it can strike any lamp under any conditions. Was your 115VDC after you made changes? If so what was the voltage before? If not, well, you may have a different problem. What's your operating voltage while the lamp is running? And do you trust your voltmeter? --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-28-2010 12:28 AM                        I think I do have a different problem, because according to the Christie docs I posted above, I am already at maximum voltage. I have: Wire 81 on terminal 78 Wire 87 on terminal 84 4th link LO This gives me 115.6 VDC, though the Christie docs say measure VAC. I trust my multimeter. I never trust the built-in lamphouse meters. The one on the lamphouse is for amps only, however, no option to view volts. Christie doesn't believe in displaying volts.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 03-28-2010 07:00 AM                        I agree, Joe. You must have another problem. Can you swap igniters with another lamp? btw: Christie systems only run on amps, they don't need volts (It would be easy to read volts-amps-watts on a digital read out like Xetron or Big Sky) Louis  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 03-28-2010 10:40 AM                        I can Louis, but I think I will wait for a bit because the lamp in the problematic house is only a couple of weeks old and strikes perfectly. In a month or so it'll probably be up to 3 or 4 strikes each time. That's when I can try the swap to see if it affects anything.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-28-2010 12:06 PM                        quote: Joe Redifer Jim at Christie says I want to be around 120vdc. 115 is low, but not really that low. My bad, like I said it has been a while. I am used to seeing the Strong's ive been working with lately build up to 150 volts and couldn't remember what is typical for a christie.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 03-28-2010 03:53 PM                        One other possibility: If you have either a high voltage arc over (at the wrong place) or have a misadjusted spark gap, you could get a bulb arc that is insufficient. With 3 phase off and all room lighting off, momentarily push manual ignite and look for a small purple spark at somewhere other than the bulb. Especially look for an arc from bulb to reflector. Louis  |  IP: Logged

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